Multiple volatile material dispensing device and operating methodologies therefore

ABSTRACT

A dispensing device includes first and second actuators that actuate first and second containers, respectively, to dispense volatile material therefrom and a sensor for detecting an environmental condition. In a first period the first and second actuators are inactive, in a second period the first actuator actuates the first container at a first frequency to dispense volatile material therefrom, and in a third period the second actuator actuates the second container at a second frequency to dispense volatile material therefrom. If the sensor has detected the environmental condition, the first and/or second actuators actuate the first and/or second containers, respectively, during a fourth period at a third frequency.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/790,243, filed May 28, 2010.

REFERENCE REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

SEQUENTIAL LISTING

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates generally to volatile material dispensingdevices and operating methodologies therefore and, more particularly, tosuch devices and methodologies that dispense multiple volatilematerials.

2. Description of the Background

Volatile material dispensing devices come in a variety of differentforms. Some dispensing devices require only ambient airflow to dispersea liquid volatile material therefrom, e.g., from a wick extending from avolatile material container. Other devices are battery-powered orreceive household power via a plug extending from the device. Some suchbattery-powered devices include a heating element for heating a volatilematerial to promote vaporization thereof. Other devices employ a fan orblower to generate airflow to direct volatile material out of the deviceinto the surrounding environment. Still other devices that dispensevolatile materials utilize ultrasonic means to dispense the volatilematerials therefrom. In yet another example, some dispensing devices areconfigured to automatically actuate an aerosol container containing apressurized fluid to dispense the fluid therefrom.

In the past, various means have been utilized to dispense one or morevolatile materials from a single device. Multiple volatile materialshave been used, for example, to prevent habituation, which is aphenomenon that occurs when a person becomes used to a particularvolatile material such that they no longer perceive that volatilematerial. Alternatively or in conjunction, multiple volatile materialshave been used to provide environmental effects that can be customizedby a user, e.g., to provide a first fragrance in the morning to gentlyencourage a user to awake from sleep and a second fragrance in theevening to calm the user before falling asleep.

Due, in part, to the variety of user preferences and needs for creatingindividualized environmental effects, there is an ever growing need fordifferent volatile material dispensing devices to suit different users.Consequently, the present disclosure provides volatile materialdispensers with different operating methodologies that may be preferredby some users over other devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one example, a dispensing device includes first and second actuatorsadapted to actuate first and second containers, respectively, todispense volatile material therefrom and a sensor for detecting anenvironmental condition. In a first period the first and secondactuators are inactive, in a second period the first actuator actuatesthe first container at a first frequency to dispense volatile materialtherefrom, and in a third period the second actuator actuates the secondcontainer at a second frequency to dispense volatile material therefrom.If the sensor has detected the environmental condition, the first and/orsecond actuators actuate the first and/or second containers,respectively, during a fourth period at a third frequency.

In another example, a dispensing device includes first and secondactuators adapted to actuate first and second containers, respectively,to dispense volatile material therefrom and a sensor for detecting anenvironmental condition. During a first period the first actuatoractuates the first container for a first actuation sequence to dispensevolatile material therefrom and during a second period the secondactuator actuates the second container for a second actuation sequenceto dispense volatile material therefrom. The first and second actuationsequences are performed only if the sensor has detected theenvironmental condition.

In yet another example, a dispensing device includes first and secondactuators adapted to actuate first and second containers, respectively,to dispense volatile material therefrom. The first and second actuatorsactuate the first and second containers, respectively, to dispensevolatile material therefrom during a twenty-four hour period that isdivided into consecutive first, second, and third periods. During thefirst period the first and second actuators are inactive, during thesecond period the first actuator actuates the first container todispense volatile material therefrom, and during the third period thesecond actuator actuates the second container to dispense volatilematerial therefrom.

Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent upon consideration of the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a volatile materialdispensing device;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart that illustrates programming that may be executedby the device of FIG. 1 to operate in Mode 1, Mode 2, and/or Mode 3;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart that illustrates one embodiment of programmingaccording to Mode 1 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart that illustrates one embodiment of programmingaccording to Mode 2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a flowchart that illustrates one embodiment of programmingaccording to Mode 3 of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a volatile material dispensing device 10 thatincludes a controller 12, a sensor 14, one or more switches or inputdevices 16, a first actuator 18, a second actuator 20, a first container22, and a second container 24. The controller 12, which can be amicroprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit, or any othercombination of hardware and software components, is configured toactivate/deactivate the sensor 14 and to receive inputs therefrom. Forexample, the sensor 14 may be an ambient light sensor, a motion sensorto detect motion or an attribute associated with motion, a chemicalsensor for detecting a malodor and/or a volatile material, a pressuresensor, a thermal sensor, etc. Generally, the sensor 14 is configured todetect an environmental condition, such as, the presence of anindividual, and to send a signal to the controller representative of theenvironmental condition. The controller is further coupled to switch(es)16 to receive inputs therefrom, e.g., the switch(es) 16 can be used toturn the device 10 on and off, to set a time and date, to select atiming interval, to select an operating mode, etc., as would be apparentto one of skill in the art. Further, a power source (not shown), whichmay include, e.g., batteries, a connection to an electrical outlet,solar power, etc., may also be coupled to one or more of the componentsof the device 10 to power same.

The first and second actuators 18, 20 are coupled to and controlled bythe controller 12 to actuate the first and second containers 22, 24,respectively, to dispense or spray volatile material therefrom. Theactuators 18, 20 and containers 22, 24 may be any known combinationdesigned to dispense volatile material. In one non-limiting example, thecontainers may include wicks extending therefrom and the actuators maybe piezoelectric elements for atomizing fluid from the wicks or theactuators may be heaters and/or fans for actively dispersing fluid fromthe wicks. In another non-limiting example, the containers are aerosolcontainers and the actuators are configured to actuate a valve stem ofthe aerosol containers to dispense fluid therefrom. In addition, thefirst and second actuators 18, 20 need not be separate and distinctdevices but may comprise portions of a single device that is configuredto actuate both of the containers 22, 24, either at the same time oralternatively.

Further, the controller 12 may include memory for storing programming tocontrol the operation of the device 10. In other embodiments, thecontroller 12 includes other components, such as, for example, timersand clocks, analog/digital converters, input/output interfaces, logicelements, etc., as would be apparent to one skilled in the art. Othermodifications to the device 10 of FIG. 1 can be made without departingfrom the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the device 10may include fewer or additional components, such as, an indicator 26,which can be a display and/or one or more indicator lights, as would beapparent to one of skill in the art.

One embodiment of processes executed by hardware and/or softwarecomponents of the controller 12 is illustrated in FIG. 2, whichinitiates at a block 40. Initialization by the block 40 occurs, e.g.,when a power source is supplied to the device 10 by turning the switch16 to an on position, by inserting batteries, or otherwise couplingpower to the device, after which a start-up procedure may be performed.In one embodiment, the start-up procedure includes a short delay, suchas, about five seconds, and an actuation of one or both of thecontainers 22, 24, to dispense volatile material. The initializationblock 40 may further initialize the controller 12, e.g., by loading thecurrent time. In other embodiments, the start-up procedure may bemodified or even eliminated without departing from the spirit of thepresent disclosure. After the block 40, control passes to a decisionblock 42 that determines a position of a mode select switch, e.g., theswitch 16 of FIG. 1, to determine whether the controller 12 will operatein Mode 1, Mode 2, or Mode 3 designated by blocks 44, 46, and 48,respectively. In other examples, the switch is not a physical switchand, instead, the controller 12 is merely programmed or otherwisedesigned to operate in one of the Modes. After the block 42 determinesthe selected operating mode, control passes to a respective block 44,46, or 48.

Referring now to FIG. 3, Mode 1 begins at a block 60, which loads aSleep/AM/PM block sequence. The block sequence can be loaded frominternal or external memory coupled to the device 10 or can be set andadjusted by a user via one or more inputs or switches, e.g., theswitches 16 of FIG. 1. In the present embodiment, Mode 1 is programmedto divide a twenty-four hour day into three time periods with threespray timings or sequences, e.g., Sleep, AM, and PM. In one non-limitingexample, the Sleep sequence can be set to a time period when users arenot expected to be awake or in a vicinity of the device 10, such as,between 12:00 AM and 6:00 AM, during which period the device is in aninactive state and no volatile is dispensed. The AM sequence can be setto a morning time period, e.g., between 6:01 AM and 3:00 PM, duringwhich period the device 10 can be controlled to actuate the firstcontainer 22 to dispense volatile material according to an AM spraytiming, e.g., one spray every twenty minutes. Further, the PM sequencecan be set to a PM time period, e.g., between 3:01 PM and 11:59 PM,during which period the device 10 can be controlled to actuate thesecond container 24 to dispense volatile material according to a PMspray timing, e.g., one spray every twenty minutes.

Following the block 60, control passes to a block 62, which determinesthe current time period, e.g., the Sleep sequence time period between12:00 AM and 6:00 AM, the AM sequence time period between 6:01 AM and3:00 PM, or the PM sequence time period between 3:01 PM and 11:59 PM. Inthe current non-limiting example, if the current time period is theSleep period, control passes to a block 64 and the device 10 iscontrolled according to the inactive state where no volatile isdispensed. If the current time period is the AM period, control passesto a block 66 and the device 10 is controlled according to the AM spraytiming to dispense the volatile material from the first container 22once every twenty minutes. Similarly, if the current time period is thePM period, control passes to a block 68 and the device 10 is controlledaccording to the PM spray timing to dispense volatile material from thesecond container 24 once every twenty minutes. Concurrently whileexecuting the blocks 64, 66, 68, control loops to the block 62 tocontinually monitor the current time period and direct control to anappropriate block 64, 66, or 68, particularly, if there is a change inthe current period.

Referring now to FIG. 4, Mode 2 begins at a block 80, which loads aSleep/AM/PM block sequence, similarly to the block 60 of FIG. 3. Forexample, the Sleep/AM/PM block sequence loaded by the block 80 mayinclude the same or different time periods and/or spray timings. In onenon-limiting example, the Sleep sequence time period can be set tobetween 12:00 AM and 6:00 AM, during which the device 10 is in aninactive state and no volatile is dispensed. The AM sequence time periodcan be set to between 6:01 AM and 3:00 PM, during which the device 10can be controlled to actuate the first container 22 according to an AMspray timing to dispense volatile material once every twenty minutes.Further, the PM sequence time period can be set to between 3:01 PM and11:59 PM, during which the device 10 can be controlled to actuate thesecond container 24 according to a PM spray timing to dispense volatilematerial once every twenty minutes.

Following the block 80, control passes to a block 82 to determine thecurrent time period, e.g., the Sleep sequence time period between 12:00AM and 6:00 AM, the AM sequence time period between 6:01 AM and 3:00 PM,or the PM sequence time period between 3:01 PM and 11:59 PM. If thecurrent time period is the Sleep period, control passes to a block 84and the device 10 is controlled according to the inactive state where novolatile is dispensed. As shown in FIG. 4, after control passes to theblock 84, control loops back to the decision block 82 to continuallymonitor the current time period. If the block 82 determines that thecurrent time period is the AM or PM period, control passes to a block 86to activate a sensor, e.g., the sensor 14 of FIG. 1, and to determinewhether the sensor has been triggered. The sensor can be a motion sensorthat is triggered by detecting motion, a pressure sensor that istriggered by a user pressing on the pressure sensor, or any other typeof sensor that would be apparent to one of ordinary skill. If the sensorhas not been triggered, control returns to the block 82 to continuallymonitor the current time period. However, if the sensor has beentriggered, control passes to blocks 88, 90 depending on the current timeperiod. More particularly, if the current time period is the AM period,control passes to the block 88 and the device 10 is controlled accordingto the AM spray timing to dispense the volatile material from the firstcontainer 22 once every twenty minutes. If the current time period isthe PM period, control passes to the block 90 and the device 10 iscontrolled according to the PM spray timing to dispense volatilematerial from the second container 24 once every twenty minutes.Further, the blocks 88, 90 may provide an initial actuation of thecontainers 22, 24 immediately when the sensor is triggered or mayactuate the containers after a brief delay.

Control may remain at the blocks 88, 90 for the duration of therespective time period before looping back to the block 82.Consequently, in the blocks 88, 90, control may monitor the current timeperiod to determine whether the current period has elapsed. In thepresent example, control may monitor the current time periodcontinuously or periodically after a lock out period following eachactuation. In one non-limiting example, control may periodicallydetermine the current time period after a twenty minute lockout periodfollowing each actuation. If the current period has elapsed, thencontrol can immediately loop back to the block 82 and the block 86 canactivate and monitor the sensor, as described above.

In another non-limiting example, control remains at the blocks 88, 90for a period shorter than the AM or PM time period, e.g., two hours. Inthe present example, control loops back to the block 82 after remainingat the block 88 for two hours while the first actuator 18 is controlledto actuate the first container 22 to dispense volatile material everytwenty minutes or at the block 90 for two hours while the secondactuator 20 is controlled to actuate the second container 24 to dispensevolatile material every twenty minutes. In yet another example, controlmay monitor the current time period continuously or periodically duringthe blocks 88, 90, as described above. Consequently, control may remainin the blocks 88, 90 for the duration of the shorter time period, e.g.,two hours, or until the current period has elapsed before looping backto the block 82. In yet another example intended without limitation, thesensor can be deactivated during the blocks 84, 88, 90 to preventfurther sensor activation during such blocks and to conserve power.

Referring now to FIG. 5, Mode 3 begins at a block 110, which loads aSleep/AM/PM block sequence, similarly to the block 60 of FIG. 3 and theblock 80 of FIG. 4. For example, the Sleep/AM/PM block sequence loadedby the block 110 may include the same or different time periods and/orspray timings as the examples discussed above. In one non-limitingexample, the Sleep sequence time period can be set to between 12:00 AMand 6:00 AM, during which the device 10 is in an inactive state and novolatile is dispensed. The AM sequence time period can be set to between6:01 AM and 3:00 PM, during which period the device 10 can be controlledto actuate the first container 22 according to an AM spray timing todispense volatile material once every forty minutes. Further, the PMsequence time period can be set to between 3:01 PM and 11:59 PM, duringwhich period the device 10 can be controlled to actuate the secondcontainer 24 according to a PM spray timing to dispense volatilematerial once every forty minutes.

Following the block 110, control passes to a block 112 to determine thecurrent time period, e.g., the Sleep sequence time period between 12:00AM and 6:00 AM, the AM sequence time period between 6:01 AM and 3:00 PM,or the PM sequence time period between 3:01 PM and 11:59 PM. If thecurrent time period is the Sleep period, control passes to a block 114and the device 10 is controlled according to the inactive state where novolatile is dispensed. If the current time period is the AM period,control passes to a block 116 and the device 10 is controlled accordingto the AM spray timing to dispense the volatile material from the firstcontainer 22 once every forty minutes. Similarly, if the current timeperiod is the PM period, control passes to a block 118 and the device 10is controlled according to the PM spray timing to dispense volatilematerial from the second container 24 once every forty minutes.

Concurrently while executing the blocks 114, 116, and 118 control loopsto the block 120 to determine whether a sensor has been triggered, e.g.,the sensor 14 of FIG. 1, which can be a motion sensor that is triggeredby detecting motion, a pressure sensor that is triggered by a userpressing on the pressure sensor, or any other type of sensor that wouldbe apparent to one of ordinary skill. If the sensor has not beentriggered, control loops back to the block 112 to monitor the currenttime period and resume execution of the blocks 114, 116, 118 until thecurrent time period expires and/or the sensor is triggered. If thesensor has been triggered, control passes to a block 122 and a spraysequence is performed. In one non-limiting example, the spray sequenceof the block 122 includes actuating one or both of the containers 22, 24once every twenty minutes for a total of six actuations. In the presentexample, during the block 122, control waits for twenty minutes beforethe first actuation. Consequently, control remains at the block 122 fortwo hours. In another example, control immediately actuates one or bothof the containers 22, 24 when the sensor is triggered. In yet anotherexample, a container 22, 24 is selected to be actuated during the block122 based on the current block time. More particularly, if the currentblock time is the AM time period then the first container 22 isactuated, if the current block time is the PM time period then thesecond container 24 is actuated, and if the current block time is thesleep period, then either no container is actuated or one or both of thecontainers can be actuated. After the sixth actuation of the block 122,control passes back to the block 112 to resume operation as discussedabove. Control may remain in the block 122 for the duration of the spraysequence, e.g., all six actuations. Alternatively, during the block 122,control may continuously or periodically monitor the current time periodand immediately loop back to the decision block 112 if the current timeperiod elapses, similarly to the examples discussed above with referenceto FIG. 4.

In further non-limiting examples, control may remain at the block 122for a delay period, e.g., twenty minutes, before returning to the block112. Further, control may remain in the blocks 114, 116, and/or 118 fora lockout period, e.g., ten minutes, before passing to the block 120 tomonitor the sensor. Still further, during the blocks 114 and/or 122, thesensor can be deactivated to conserve power. In yet another example, ifthe current time period is the Sleep period, control may pass to theblock 114 and then directly back to the decision block 112, thereby,bypassing the blocks 120 and 122.

Various modifications can be made to the flowcharts describedhereinabove, without departing from the spirit of the presentdisclosure. For example, the flowcharts can be modified to include feweror additional processes, such as, activating the indicator 26, which canbe an LED, to flash every ten seconds when the device 10 is notactuating the containers 22, 24 and is not monitoring a sensor, to flashevery five seconds when the device is not actuating the containers andis monitoring a sensor, and/or to flash three times prior to actuationof the containers. Further, the time periods, spray sequences, andnumber of actuations during each time period and/or spray sequence mayalso be modified. The flowchart can also be modified to rearrange thesequence of the blocks, e.g., the loading of the Sleep/AM/PM blocksequence can be performed during the initialization block 40 or afterthe block 40 and before the block 42 is performed to determine theoperating mode.

Still further, the containers 22, 24 may hold any type of volatilematerial that is to be dispensed. The volatile may be in any suitableform including liquid or gas. The containers 22, 24 may include apropellant or other compressed gases to facilitate the release thereof.The volatile may be a fragrance or insecticide disposed within a carrierliquid, a deodorizing liquid, a cleaning and/or polishing formulation orthe like and may also comprise other actives, such as sanitizers, airfresheners, odor eliminators, mold or mildew inhibitors, insectrepellents, and the like, or that have aromatherapeutic properties.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The dispensing device disclosed herein can be controlled to operate inone or more modes to provide an improved user experience with variousoptions for dispensing one or more volatile materials to suit varioususer preferences.

Numerous modifications to the present invention will be apparent tothose skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description.Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative onlyand is presented for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art tomake and use the invention and to teach the best mode of carrying outsame. The exclusive rights to all modifications that come within thescope of the appended claims are reserved.

We claim:
 1. A dispensing device, comprising: first and second actuatorsadapted to actuate first and second containers, respectively, todispense volatile material therefrom; and a sensor for detecting anenvironmental condition, wherein in a first period the first and secondactuators are inactive, in a second period the first actuator actuatesthe first container at a first frequency to dispense volatile materialtherefrom, and in a third period the second actuator actuates the secondcontainer at a second frequency to dispense volatile material therefrom,and wherein, if the sensor has detected the environmental condition, thefirst and/or second actuators actuate the first and/or secondcontainers, respectively, during a fourth period at a third frequency.2. The dispensing device of claim 1, wherein the first and secondcontainers are aerosol containers.
 3. The dispensing device of claim 1,wherein the third frequency is greater than the first and secondfrequencies.
 4. The dispensing device of claim 1, wherein during thefourth period the first actuator actuates the first container todispense volatile material therefrom if the device had been operating inthe second period and the second actuator actuates the second containerto dispense volatile material therefrom if the device had been operatingin the third period.
 5. The dispensing device of claim 1, wherein thesensor is a motion sensor.
 6. The dispensing device of claim 1, furthercomprising an input device coupled to a controller to allow a user tomodify the first, second, and third periods and the first, second, andthird frequencies.
 7. The dispensing device of claim 1, wherein, bydefault, the first period is set between 12:00AM and 6:00 AM, the secondperiod is set between 6:01 AM and 3:00 PM, the third period is setbetween 3:01 PM and 11:59 PM, the first and second frequencies includeone actuation every forty minutes, and the third frequency includes oneactuation every twenty minutes for a total of six actuations.
 8. Thedispensing device of claim 1, wherein the sensor is deactivated duringthe fourth period.
 9. The dispensing device of claim 1, wherein thefirst, second, and third periods are consecutive time periods within atwenty-four hour period.
 10. A dispensing device, comprising: first andsecond actuators adapted to actuate first and second containers,respectively, to dispense volatile material therefrom; and a sensor fordetecting an environmental condition, wherein during a first period thefirst actuator actuates the first container for a first actuationsequence to dispense volatile material therefrom and during a secondperiod the second actuator actuates the second container for a secondactuation sequence to dispense volatile material therefrom, and whereinthe first and second actuation sequences are performed only if thesensor has detected the environmental condition.
 11. The dispensingdevice of claim 10, wherein during a third period the first and secondactuators are inactive.
 12. The dispensing device of claim 11, whereinthe first and second actuation sequences last for a fourth period. 13.The dispensing device of claim 12, wherein the fourth period is twohours and the first and second actuation sequences include one actuationevery twenty minutes for two hours.
 14. The dispensing device of claim11, wherein the sensor is deactivated during the third period and thefirst and second actuation sequences.
 15. The dispensing device of claim11, wherein the first, second, and third periods are consecutive timeperiods within a twenty-four hour period.
 16. The dispensing device ofclaim 10, wherein the first and second actuation sequences areinterrupted if the first or second periods, respectively, elapse. 17.The dispensing device of claim 10, wherein the first and secondcontainers are aerosol containers.
 18. The dispensing device of claim10, wherein the sensor is a motion sensor.